Monday, February 5, 2007

NASOM - National Autism Society of Malaysia

The National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM) was formed on the 11th of July, 1986 by a group of parents and professionals as a national voluntary charitable organisation. NASOM provides a range of support series to help autistic people to make more sense of their environment and to help those closest to them.

NASOM aims to provide education, help, care and rehabilitation for people with autism. Their objectives include:

i) To identify and promote the treatment, education welfare and acceptance of people with autism.ii) To watch over and protect the autistics.iii) To provide assistance and advice for the families of autistics.iv) To provide information to parents, professionals and the public.

By 2004, NASOM has successfully implemented 10 Autism Intervention Programmes and 2 Vocational Training Centres. In 2005, NASOM build its first One- Stop Centre, a project under the sponsorship of the Kiwanis Club Petaling Jaya (KCPJ). It has an Autism Spectrum Multidisciplinary Assessment Team (ASMAT) that serves to offer quality autism spectrum assessment and diagnosis services for people at risk of autism disorders as well as assessment of children with autism. In Malaysia, people with autism are referred to NASOM by Government hospitals and private practitioners.

As a non-profit organisation, NASOM is in need of public support to maintain its operational costs. As education has been proven to be the best method in helping autistic persons, donations are an invaluable form of assistance. Apart from that, donations can help in raising awareness on autism, advocacy, research, and most importantly, to assist families living with autism.